November 5, 2015
Preparing for Aging, Death, and Dying
There is only one thing in life that is said to be guaranteed and that is death. Death can be
a scary topic to discuss due to the fact that for most people, it is the least anticipated part of life.
However, preparing for aging and death is crucial and needs to be thought about at some point in
time. Throughout the process of growing up and becoming more experienced in the game of life,
there are some frequently asked questions. For example, “is it really possible to age gracefully?”
or “is there a way to slow down the aging process?” In addition, people come and go whether it
is through arguments or death. Being able to cope with a loss is another level of the game that
people wonder how to defeat. For example, another question asked is, “how can one help a
friend with a loss?” or “how does one deal with a loss?” With death come other responsibilities,
especially for the families. Therefore, creating a living will is necessary however; some people
question why it is even necessary. Preparing for aging, death and dying is needed especially
when it comes to maintaining one’s health.
To start off, the life expectancy for children in the US in 2012 was averaged at 78.9 years.
(Donnatelle 434) According to a study funded by the US Department of Labor, Americans now
live about a year-and-a-half less than Western Europeans, and also less than people in most other
developed nations, therefore there needs to be a change in how Americans live (“Europeans Now
Living Longer Than Americans”). Obviously there are many way to stay fit and keep one’s body
in shape this includes, eating healthy, exercising regularly and having a normal intake of
nutrients. Today, people age 65 or older in the US make up over 13 percent of the total
population or to be more exact, about 41.4 million (Donatelle 434). As aging occurs, so do other
health risks, which cause many issues for the elderly. Unfortunately in our society today, elderly
people are not able to live on their own or even afford their own housing. According to
Donatelle, most older adults never live in a nursing home, they rather live with a spouse, partner
or alone (Donatelle 435). However, some elderly people physically cannot afford to take care of
themselves or their partner; therefore they are forced to reside in nursing homes or in other forms
of institutional care. Donatelle said, “If you have the money, the sky is the limit.” This deems to
be true especially when it comes to the elderly because the ones who are wealthier do not have
any issues with paying these institutional costs. In 2011, the supplemental poverty measure
estimated that about 17 percent of seniors lived in poverty in the US (Donatelle 436). This is
because not all of these elderly people have the money to pay back the costs of their health care.
Therefore when Donatelle says, “the sky is the limit” it is true.
